Digger.



L. FERRIS BIGGER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 20, 1910.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 L. AFERRIS BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1910.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C1 Home@ sHmafuN, o, c.

LEWIS FERRIS, 0F POCATELLO, IDAHO.

BIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedsept. c, 1910.

Application led May 20, 1910. Serial No. 562,466.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, LEwIs FERRIs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Pocatello, in the county of Bannock and State ofIdaho, have invented new and useful Improvements in Diggers, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to diggers for cultivating crops and for stirringand agitating the soil, and it has for its object to produce a diggerwhich shall be particularly useful in cultivating crops on irrigatedlands.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and ehcientmachine for undercutting the soil so as to destroy the roots of weedsand the like and for forming shallow ditches adjacent to the growingcrops, the soil excavated in the formation of said ditches being thrownin the direction of the growing plants, and said ditches being usefulfor irrigating purposes.

A further object of the invention is to produce a machine of thecharacter outlined above which shall be simple in construction andthoroughly eflicient in operation.

Vith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination of partswhich will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitationis necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of theinvention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructedin accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, thetransporting wheels and parts relating to the adjustment of said wheelshaving been removed. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional viewtaken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional detailview taken on the line 4 4 in-Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofone ofthe subsoiling shovels, showing the ditch forming members detachedand separate.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by likecharacters of reference.

The frame A of the improved machine having the transporting wheels B, ACand adjusting means for said wheels including thek levers D, E, may bean ordinary ,sulky plow frame of well known construction, the samerequiring no detailed description. The beam F connected with said framemay be an ordinary straight beam provided at its forward end with draftattaching means such as a clevis G. A tongue and a draft evener may alsobe used, but it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the same.Firmly bolted upon or otherwise secured to the beam F adjacent to therear end of the latter are two outwardly oifset arms 1, 1

having downwardly extending curved or arcuate standards 2, 2. Similarstandards 3, 3 are formed at the outer ends of arms 4, 4 extending fromand firmly clamped or secured upon the beam F, slightly in advance ofthe arms 1, 1, said arms` 4 being provided, with offsets 5, whereby thestandards 2, 2 and 3, 3 are disposed in alinement transversely of themachine. Two pairs of standards are thus formed, each pair beingcomposed of an inner standard 2 and an outer standard 3, and the innerstandards being suitably spaced apart so that a row of plants may bestraddled thereby. Secured upon the standards 2, 2 are rearwardlyextending brackets 6, 6, each having a terminal socket 7 for theaccommodation of a shaft 8 having a rearwardly extending arm 9 carryinga trailing wheel 10, the shaft 8 being provided adjacent to its upperend with a nut 11 and a washer 12, between which and the upper end ofthe socket 7 a spring 13 is interposed to cushion the movement of thetrailers. The standards 2, 3 are provided upon their opposed faces withbearings 14 wherein shafts 15 are supported for rotation, said shaftsbeing provided with radially extending arms 16.

Secured upon the lower ends of each pair of standards is a shovel 17provided adjacent to the sides thereof with upturned flanges 18 for thepassage of the bolts or fastening members 19. Said shovels are composedof fiat blades of steel, the front edges of which are provided withnotches,

whereby sharp pointed teeth 20 are formed,

said teeth being beveled to form sharp cutting edges. Ditching shoes 21are firmly secured adjacent to the outer faces of the flanges 18 bymeans of the fastening members 19, said shoes consisting of platesprovided with laterally extending flanges 22.

For the purpose of reinforcing theY construction, the standard carryingarms 4 are connected with the frame bar 23 by means of braces 24, asbest seen in Fig. 2. Said frame bar also carries a seat supportconsisting of a spring or bar 25, a portion of which appears in F ig. 2.

In the operation of this device, it is intended that each pair ofstandards 2, 3 shall operate between a row of growing plants. The blades17 will cut beneath t-he soil, thus severing the roots of weeds andobnoxious plants, the soil thus loosened being stirred and agitated bythe radial digger arms 16 extending from the shafts 15 which are rotatedby contact with the soil as the machine progresses. The ditching Shoeswill serve to form narrow trenches adjacent to the rows of plants whichwill conduct the irrigation water close to the roots of the plants whereit will be applied with the best results. By raising or lower- Iing theframe with reference to the transporting wheels, the depth of thecultivation may be regulated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. -In a device of the character described, a sulky frame, a beamconnected therewith,

a pair of standards connected with the beam, a fiat blade having a sharptoothed front edge and upturned Hanges secured upon the lower ends ofthe standards, and ditching shoes supported adjacent to the sides of thefiat blade.

2. In a device of the character described, a sulky frame, a beamconnected therewith, a pair of standards connected with the beam, ablade having upturned ianges secured upon the standards, and ditchingshoes secured adjacent to the sides of the blade and having laterallyextending iianges.

3. In a device of the character described, a sulky frame, a beamconnected therewith, a pair of standards connected with the beam, ablade having upturned flanges secured upon the standards, ditching shoessecured adjacent to the sides of the blade, and a shaft supported forrotation upon the standards above the blade and having agitating armsextending radially there-from.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEVIS FERRIS.

lVitnesses:

BEN. GASTELLINI, Jos. A. MAURO.

